We are Sherhdil Terry Dennis and Wahlia Qazi Lynda Flanagan, representatives and teachers of the Sufi Order International. In 2003, after teaching Sufism for seven years in Tacoma, we moved to the Graham/Spanaway area, and continue to operate the Harmony Center for Spiritual Journeys from our home. In addition to regular classes we offer lessons by appointment. Inquirers classes are also available for those who want to find out more without an immediate commitment.

Sufi Initiates, and also those as yet just exploring the Path, are encouraged to connect with an authorized teacher to receive individualized guidance and instruction in the teachings and practices of the Sufi Order.

We seek to provide a setting in which real spiritual experience — and transformation — is possible, and we work towards a balanced and grounded spirituality. The Sufi path is one of initiation and apprenticeship under a teacher, as well as a path of individual study of the Sufi teachings; the written teachings actually make a guide necessary, not dispensable. The Sufi teacher is not the deified “perfect master” of other traditions, but is rather a spiritual friend who is living a human life, one who has traveled the path ahead and knows the territory.

In the Sufi Order money is never an obstacle to the exploration of the Sufi path. There is no charge or fee for the lessons at our center, although donations are welcome. Sufi Order International is supported by sliding scale dues and donations. Contact us at:qazisherhdil@gmail.comMobil Phone for Sherhdil:253-961-3847 [2:00 - 10:00 pm]

PIR ZIA INAYAT-KHAN is a scholar and teacher of Sufism in the lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. He received his B.A. (Hons) in Persian Literature from the London School of Oriental and African Studies, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion from Duke University. Pir Zia is president of the Sufi Order International and founder of Suluk Academy, a school of contemplative study with branches in the United States and Europe. He is also founder of the interspiritual institute Seven Pillars House of Wisdom. He lives with his wife and two children in rural upstate New York.More: http://www.pirzia.org/bio/

HERE ARE TEN PRINCIPAL SUFI THOUGHTSwhich comprise all the important subjects with which the inner life is concerned:

1. There is One God, the Eternal, the Only Being; none exists save God.

2. There is One Master, the Guiding Spirit of all Souls, Who constantly leads followers towards the light.

3. There is One Holy Book, the sacred manuscript of nature, which truly enlightens the reader.

4. There is One Religion, the unswerving progress in the right direction towards the ideal, which fulfils the life’s purpose of every soul.

5. There is One Law, the law of reciprocity, which can be observed by a selfless conscience together with a sense of awakened justice.

6. There is One Brotherhood and Sisterhood, the human brotherhood and sisterhood, which unites the children of earth indiscriminately in the Parenthood of God.

7. There is One Moral, the love which springs forth from self-denial, and blooms in deeds of beneficence.

8. There is One Object of Praise, the beauty which uplifts the heart of its worshippers through all aspects from the seen to the unseen.

9. There is One Truth, the true knowledge of our being, within and without, which is the essence of all wisdom.

10. There is One Path, the annihilation of the false ego in the real, which raises the mortal to immortality, and in which resides all perfection.

Based on the “Ten Sufi Thoughts” in The Way of Illumination by Hazrat Inayat Khan.

Father, Son & Grandson
Biographies HERE

In 2010 The Sufi Order International, North America, celebrated 100 years on the Path towards Love, Harmony and Beauty, a holistic, interfaith school of inner work and spiritual awakening in the lineage of Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan. The Sufi message is not opposed to any religion, faith, or belief; it is rather a support to all religions, it is a defense for religions which are attacked by the followers of other religions. The Sufi movement, therefore, does not stand as a barrier between a member and his own religious faith, but as an open door leading to the heart of faith. A member of the movement is a bearer of the divine message to the followers of whatever church or sect he may belong to.

The Purpose of Life

"We come to understand by this that the further we go the more tolerant we become. Outward things matter little. It is the inward realization which counts. However sacred duty may be, however high may be the hope of paradise, however great the happiness one may experience in the pleasures of the earth, however much satisfaction one may find in earthly treasures, the purpose of life is in rising above all these things. It is then that the soul will have no discord, no disagreement with others. It is then that the natural attitude of the soul will become tolerant and forgiving. The purpose of life is fulfilled in rising to the greatest heights and in diving to the deepest depths of life: in widening one's horizon, in penetrating life in all its spheres, in losing oneself, and in finding oneself in the end. In the accomplishment of the purpose of life the purpose of creation is fulfilled. Therefore, in this fulfillment it is not that man attained, but that God Himself has fulfilled His purpose."Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan